In a press release, Koch sited Latimer’s “long record of bipartisan accomplishments” and praised the Assemblyman’s work to reduce taxes and control spending.

“As the former Mayor of New York City, I recognize that in order to serve the people effectively, you must make tough decisions and to do so you need the trust of the people you represent. George Latimer has earned that trust and I believe when he says that he has and will continue to lower taxes for Westchester families, he will do just that,” Koch said in the statement.

“George has a long record of delivering significant tax relief and is committed to continuing that fight in the State Senate. Westchester needs an independent voice like George Latimer in the State Senate who will stand up to his party leadership if he believes it is in the best interest of local taxpayers. When George says he’s going to lower your taxes, that’s another pledge that I know he will honor.”

It’s interesting that the Koch endorsement focuses solely on this issue because Cohen’s campaign has been attacking Latimer’s record on taxes in the Assembly and in the Westchester County Legislature. In fact, Cohen’s statement welcoming Latimer to the race included attacks of his vote against the property tax cap and his no-show for the pension reform vote (which was done very early in the morning when many Assembly members had already gone to bed).